Sure to have kids imagining what kinds of underpants other species might wear.
Will Bear Cub ever find the owner of the pair of underpants hanging in the tree outside his cave?
His distressed expression will show readers that he takes this job seriously—someone somewhere has a bare bum. In a pattern that repeats, Bear Cub asks his friends in turn if the tighty whities happen to belong to them. When they say no, he asks, “Are you sure?” and they give the reason why they can’t possibly be theirs: There’s no hole for Squirrel’s tail, Bat’s underpants glow in the dark, they smell too good to be Skunk’s, and Salmon wears a swimsuit instead. They don’t belong to Turtle, Owl, Snake, Beaver, or Moose, either. So, Bear Cub heads home…to a surprise (maybe not for close observers) revelation from Momma Bear, who, strangely enough, wears no underwear herself. The diversity of underpants on display will keep readers in stitches, and the animals’ reactions to Bear Cub’s inquiries about something so personal are both very funny and so true to life for kids: Turtle seems almost prudish, Salmon is joyfully matter-of-fact, Skunk seems proud of their characteristic trait, and Beaver is terribly shy. Though those reading aloud may get tired of the word underpants, repeated 34 times not including the title, kids will find it hysterical, and the repetition supports new readers.
Sure to have kids imagining what kinds of underpants other species might wear. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-984831-89-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This appealing work is an excellent addition to any emotional-intelligence shelf.
Author/illustrator Doerrfeld gives children a model for how to process difficult events and provide meaningful support to friends who need it.
Taylor is excited to build a block tower, but then a flock of birds swoops in and knocks it all down. Different animal friends try to help, in ways that cleverly mirror their nature: the bear shouts, the ostrich buries its head in the wreckage, and the snake hisses about revenge. But what Taylor (who is never referred to with gendered pronouns) really needs is to explore a whole range of emotional responses to loss, without being asked to perform any specific feeling. A cuddly rabbit shows up and just listens, giving Taylor—an expressive child with light skin, curly dark hair, and blue-and-white–striped one-piece pajamas—space for the whole process, going from grief to anger to resolution. The illustrations are spare yet textured, and the pace is excellent for reading aloud, with lots of opportunities for funny voices and discussion starters about supporting anyone through a hard time. Despite the obvious takeaway, this story doesn’t feel overly moralizing or didactic. Keeping the focus on the small tragedy of tumbled blocks makes it young-child–appropriate, with opportunities for deeper connections with an older audience.
This appealing work is an excellent addition to any emotional-intelligence shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2935-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
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